Uarda : a Romance of Ancient Egypt — Complete eBook

“And I fail to comprehend,” exclaimed
the old man, “how you—­you who so
willingly condemn, can so weakly excuse this—­this—­call
him what you will.”

“He is indispensable to us at this time,”
said the haruspex.

“Granted,” said Gagabu, lowering his tone.
“And I think still to make use of him, as the
high-priest has done in past years with the best effect
when dangers have threatened us; and a dirty road serves
when it makes for the goal. The Gods themselves
often permit safety to come from what is evil, but
shall we therefore call evil good—­or say
the hideous is beautiful? Make use of the king’s
pioneer as you will, but do not, because you are indebted
to him for gifts, neglect to judge him according to
his imaginings and deeds if you would deserve your
title of the Initiated and the Enlightened. Let
him bring his cattle into our temple and pour his
gold into our treasury, but do not defile your souls
with the thought that the offerings of such a heart
and such a hand are pleasing to the Divinity.
Above all,” and the voice of the old man had
a heart-felt impressiveness, “Above all, do
not flatter the erring man—­and this is
what you do, with the idea that he is walking in the
right way; for your, for our first duty, O my friends,
is always this—­to guide the souls of those
who trust in us to goodness and truth.”

“Oh, my master!” cried Pentaur, “how
tender is thy severity.”

“I have shown the hideous sores of this man’s
soul,” said the old man, as he rose to quit
the hall. “Your praise will aggravate them,
your blame will tend to heal them. Nay, if you
are not content to do your duty, old Gagabu will come
some day with his knife, and will throw the sick man
down and cut out the canker.”

During this speech the haruspex had frequently shrugged
his shoulders. Now he said, turning to the priests
from Chennu—­

“Gagabu is a foolish, hot-headed old man, and
you have heard from his lips just such a sermon as
the young scribes keep by them when they enter on
the duties of the care of souls. His sentiments
are excellent, but he easily overlooks small things
for the sake of great ones. Ameni would tell
you that ten souls, no, nor a hundred, do not matter
when the safety of the whole is in question.”

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A dirty road serves
when it makes for the goal
Colored cakes in the
shape of beasts
Deficient are as guilty
in their eyes as the idle
For fear of the toothache,
had his sound teeth drawn
Hatred between man and
man
Hatred for all that
hinders the growth of light
How tender is thy severity
Judge only by appearances,
and never enquire into the causes
Often happens that apparent
superiority does us damage
Seditious words are
like sparks, which are borne by the wind
The scholar’s
ears are at his back: when he is flogged
Title must not be a
bill of fare
Youth should be modest,
and he was assertive